1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of warping looms in textile weaving and manufacturing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since before the industrial revolution, the heddles used on handlooms have been similar in design. Heddles generally have a closed loop in the center through which the ends of warp threads are threaded. The top and bottom of the heddles have loops through which the heddles are attached to the harness or shaft frame. Heddles are typically made of polyester, twisted wire, or are pressed from sheet metal. Warp threads extend from a beam on one end of the loom, through a heddle, and attach to another beam at the other end of the loom.
One disadvantage of a closed loop heddle is that, once it is attached to the frame, it cannot be removed from the frame. Nor can the warp threads be removed from the heddles, once warping begins, since the warp threads are threaded through the heddle's center. Advanced weavers create complex weaving patterns using shaft switching. Shaft switching is the changing of the harness on which a single warp thread is moved. When switched to another harness, those warp threads can then change the pattern being woven. Shaft switching is not easily accomplished with conventional closed loop heddles. If a mistake is made during the warping process, all of the ends of the warp threads must be unthreaded back to the point at which the mistake was made to correct the problem. While some complex assemblies have been designed that open and close the eyelet of the heddle, the complex assemblies consist of several moving parts and are not readily adaptable to existing looms.
The warp beams or tie rods used on most handlooms are similar in design. The beams consist of a metal rod or wooden stick onto which the ends of the warp threads are tied. The traditional warp beams, and looms, do not provide any means to measure out the length of the warp threads. The warp beams are not meant to be used when removed from the loom. They also do not have means for maintaining a fixed distance between warp threads. The warp beams are seldom, if ever, removed from the loom. Clamps have been developed to attach warp thread to a beam without tying knots. However, the clamps have several disadvantages including multiple warp threads bunched together without separation, requiring drilling many holes into existing warp beams, having multiple parts, and using a series of springs with inconsistent tension on the warp threads across the beam.
Groups of 8 or more warp threads are typically tied to a warp beam in a single knot, which causes the threads to fan out from the knot to the heddles. The fan-out of the warp threads causes a scalloped edge at the beginning portion of a warp, and is referred to as the draw-in effect. For this reason, several inches of cloth must be woven before the scallops even out and the actual project may be started. This consumes time, adds to the amount of wasted material, and increases the overall length of the required warp.
An alternate means of attaching warp threads to a loom is to wind individual warp threads over a strip of adhesive on the beam and around the circumference of the beam. The disadvantages of this method include the potential for adhesive residue on the warp threads, potential release of the adhesive on one or more warp threads and attendant variations of tension, and a lack of positive and consistent control of the separation between warp threads. In addition, the method is not conducive to removal and replacement of the entire warp due to an inability to replicate the initial tension. This method also does not allow loading or removing the warp without removing all heddles from their frame.
Attaching the warp threads to the warp beams, also referred to as warping, in the traditional manner is very tedious. Traditional weavers usually install yards and yards of warp thread at one time. This permits the weaver to weave many projects before re-warping the loom. Unfortunately this means waiting until the entire warp is used before the individual projects can be removed from the loom. This can be especially frustrating for beginning weavers.